The completion of the mid-life upgrade of the Republic of Singapore Air Force's F-16 fleet increases the type's operational service life to the mid-2030s. (Getty Images/Suhaimi Abdullah)

The Republic of Singapore Air Force's (RSAF's) Lockheed Martin F-16C/D fleet has been upgraded for improved operational capabilities.

The enhancements are part of a long-standing mid-life upgrade (MLU) for the RSAF's F-16C/D/D+ Block 52/52+ fleet. Singapore first announced a plan to upgrade the fleet in September 2013. The RSAF is currently thought to operate 60 F-16C/D/D+ fighter aircraft.

In a statement on 24 September, the Singapore's Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said the improvements have increased the operational service of the RSAF F-16 fleet to the mid-2030s. According to MINDEF, the MLUs include a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar. Other capability enhancements include the ability to integrate newer air-to-air missiles, such as the Rafael Python-5 missile.

These upgrades enable the F-16s “to engage a wider spectrum of air threats”, MINDEF said.

The Luftwaffe intends to equip all its Eurofighter combat aircraft with the ECRS Mk 1 E-Scan radar. (Luftwaffe)

The German Luftwaffe will equip its entire fleet of Eurofighter combat aircraft with electronically scanned (E-Scan) radar sets, the government disclosed on 21 September.

Included in the Bundestag's Budget Committee approval list was the commitment to receive all newbuild Eurofighters with the European Common Radar System Mark 1 (ECRS Mk 1) E-Scan radar, and to retrofit the Luftwaffe's existing fleet of aircraft with Captor-M mechanically scanned (M-Scan) radars.

“All [Luftwaffe] Eurofighters will be equipped with a modern E-Scan radar,” the Bundeswehr said. “Newly ordered fighter jets will be delivered directly with the E-Scan radar, as 38 Eurofighters will arrive in the force from 2025. The remaining machines will have their radars retrofitted in the following years.”

Under the terms of the committee's approval, EUR197.7 million (USD210.4 million) has been earmarked for the development, procurement, and retrofitting of the ECRS Mk 1 over the term of the upcoming budget cycle. More funding will need to be made available for its completion.

A Republic of Singapore Air Force Heron 1 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), seen here at Paya Lebar Air Base in September 2023. The Singapore Armed Forces' upgraded command and control information system is able to automatically detect and classify objects of interest in real-time video feeds provided by the UAV. (Janes/Ridzwan Rahmat)

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is validating an upgraded command and control information system (CCIS) that seeks to improve the efficiency of its strike missions.

This new capability is being proven at Exercise ‘Forging Sabre' 2023, which is taking place from 11 to 30 September at the Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho, US.

The CCIS is an indigenous system developed by the SAF in collaboration with the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). It was first deployed in the command post at the 2021 iteration of Exercise ‘Forging Sabre' and incorporates features such as weapon-to-target matching algorithms.